Months past, but not too many, relative to the ongoing series of flashbacks, Francois was on his daily mandatory patrols around Era with the privates of the Rune Knights. He was fortunate to be scheduled to patrol in the mornings, making it easier for him to notice anything off in his surroundings. Though mundane enough as it is, he takes pride in doing his part to maintain the peace in Era, as it was primarily why he wanted to be one. As usual, nothing unusual seems to be happening. That was, until now.
In a not so busy street, Francois’ patrol group came across the Menagerie - his go to place for lunch and a spot where he can get a nice cup of coffee. He pondered the thought of inviting some of his peers to the restaurant, but those thoughts were now gone as not only The Menagerie, but other establishments within sight were burst into flames. Explosions were heard, but not they were not big enough to completely destroy a building or two. The damage was minimal, and yet, the small flames left by the explosion threatened to further ruin the buildings. His peers did not know what to do. It was all too sudden.
Through his very perceptive eyes, he was able to track the one who bombed these buildings, though their identity eludes him for their face was concealed under a hood. How they did it is a question for later as right now, civilians are in danger. Saving them is his, or their, top priority. “Everyone, help the civilians evacuate the building!” he said to his peers. That takes care of the civilians, and now for the fires. He knew what his comrades were capable of as he witnessed them use their magic at least once or twice. However, he has never seen anyone of them use water aspected magic. It falls to him, a prodigy wizard, to take care of this problem.
A prodigy like him is no prodigy without an excellent skill in magic manipulation - one he is well versed in. Weaving together the ethernanos into a single element proved to be no challenge to him, though, with the help of chants, he was able to manipulate a spell he made just on the fly. He unsheathes his rapier and forms a circle in mid-air, conjuring an arcane circle made of woven ethernanos. “Maiden of Tides, pour forth your waters of salvation that the flames of despair may cease to exist!” Sigils and shapes start to form within the circle, and it overall takes a blue color. Droplets of water started to form all around him as the spell’s chant was nearing completion, slowly coalescing into a wheel of water. “Weave! Flameseeker Riptide!” Jets of water emerge from the ring formed by his magic, seeking out the flames that threaten to engulf entire buildings. It took only a few seconds for the waters to douse out the flames caused by the explosions. The civilians are safe, and the fires are doused thanks to the Rune Knights. One problem remains - the bomber is still one the loose.
“Is everyone safe?” Francois asked one of the Rune Knights.
“Everyone is accounted for. I’m surprised you can use water magic! I thought you were just a normal blade magic user. Thanks to you, we don’t need to call for the-” Francois cuts him off before he could say anything else. “Now’s not the time for idle chatter. If you’ll excuse me, I have a criminal to catch.” he says as he hops a few times, enchanting him with a spell that allows him to move faster - Balestra, he calls it. “But shouldn’t we all try to catch that guy?” the Rune Knight asked. “Yes, I know. But I’m the fastest one among our patrol and I’ll be damned if we let that criminal go unpunished!” he responds and darts off to find the bomber.
Francois’ sensory sensitivity to magic allows him to track down powerful mages, but for some reason, he was unable to track them through magic sensory. How he is able to cause multiple explosions at once eludes him, and has taken in the possibility that he is dealing with a non-mage. Magical weapons and items are always an option, and he knows the criminal is carrying what he perceived as a detonator. That much is obvious and the criminal isn’t attempting to hide that fact, as if they wanted to get caught. Without any means to locate them, Francois resorted to the old reliable - finding them with his own pair of eyes.
It took him more or less 5 minutes to track down the bomber. He conjures several swords of magic in the air and he makes it rain down in front of the criminal, stopping them in their tracks. Thankfully, the streets were empty. Without any avenue of escape, the criminal concedes and puts down their hoodie, revealing a sullen man bearing a grim tattoo. He turns towards Francois, wearing a most expressive face of anger which then turns to a smirk. “It’s too late, Rune Knight!” he says as he reaches for his detonator, “I have the upper hand. Take one step, and I’ll blow away those buildings behind me!”
Francois pushed his glass up the bridge of his nose and gazed down his nose at the criminal’s audacity. “Of course, a plebeian like you would not know who I am.” He says as he grabs the hilt of his rapier and unsheathes it, gripping the rapier in front of his chest with the blade pointing upward. “I am Francois Louvre Morgan, and I don’t need to take one step to eliminate you. Remember that.” With one fell swoop of his rapier, he sends out a small bolt of magic aimed at the detonator. The criminal was caught unaware and let go of the detonator as the bolt hit it with enough force to knock it off from his hand, but not powerful enough to shatter it which may or may not destroy the buildings.
He then lunged towards the bomber and was about to stab him. Trembling from fear, the bomber uses his magic to unleash a bolt of flame, only to have it pass through him just as he was about to stab him. This revealed it to be an illusion as it disperses like smoke, and it was too late for him to notice one of his legs raised up in front of him. Francois delivers a most painful heel drop kick to the bomber, a signature move recognized by his comrades in the days to come.
Some of the Rune Knights on his patrol arrive to find the criminal knocked unconscious, though they did not make it in time to witness Francois flawlessly take down the bomber. “Oh wow, you caught him already.” One of the Rune Knights says, sticking the sheath of her weapon to the unconscious man to elicit a reaction, to no avail. “We should find the bombs asap. This man almost blew the rest of the buildings today. His magic is too weak to be able to make those buildings explode simultaneously.”
Multiple bombs were found in different private establishments scattered throughout the city, and they were diffused the moment they were found. Francois’ initiative allowed him to prevent any more casualties from happening. The arrested criminal was taken in, and he does not care or want to know the motives behind his actions. He knows that he has disrupted the peace in Era, and he must face the consequences of his actions.
Unfortunately, the Menagerie was bombed away. The disappointed and frustrated Francois now has to look for another five star cafe to dine in for lunch and snacks until the Menagerie reopens.
B-Rank Exam - Complete! 
